I don't think my daughter likes me very much right now.  You see, I've told her boyfriend he has to find somewhere else to live.  (They live in a house I own and am paying for).  I won't go into detail.  Suffice it to say that I believe it would be best for him to be by himself so he can straighten himself out.  Plus I'm tired of supporting him.   It doesn't mean he can't visit.  I would not deny him access to his daughter. 
So, it's going to be difficult for a while.  I can only hope that she will understand why I made the decision and know that she has family and friends who will help her if needed.

Deep water

The sun shone all day yesterday and it looks like it may do the same today!  Wow!  I went down to the pond knowing that I had my work cut out for me.  I wore my waders and when I got into the pond where I could reach the cage around the overflow pipe, the water was almost to the top on my legs.  That's how much rain we've had.  The two creeks that feed the pond must have really been running.  At any rate, I manage to clear the cage without falling in.  Since I had a meeting to go to I didn't stay to see that the water went down to normal level.  When I got home, however, I walked down to check and could see that it had.  On my way back to the house I noticed a fairly large hole on one side of the path.  I dropped a pebble into it and a lone yellow jacket flew out.  Hmmmm, gasoline time at dusk.  I'll check it today and if that didn't do the trick I'll think of something else.  Do need to buy a new funnel, though.
Well, y'all have a special day and remember:  It's hard to be nostalgic when you can't remember anything.

Sunday is usually a day when I can get things done around the house or outside.  Looks like it'll be inside today as it's raining......again.  The first nice day I'll be down at the pond clearing the cage around the overflow pipe......again.  I've appealed to Mother Nature, letting her know that we really have had a sufficient amount of water from the sky but, alas, she isn't listening.  It's a bit difficult to tend the garden and the weeds are definitely taking over.  I'm beginning to believe Noah may have to start that ark for those who live in low-lying areas.  Fortunately I'm not in a flood plain.  The Chattahoochee river is roaring these day which is good in a way.  Washes all the waste from the tubers downstream.  I certainly wouldn't want to eat any fish caught in it.

The time has come when we have to close the gallery for good.  The man next door wants our space and, since we've had it basically for free for three years, we understand the landlord wanting to make some rent money.  We have to be out by the end of August.  Actually I'm kind of relieved.  It can be tiring to have to be somewhere three days a week then trying to get in all that has to be done outside on whatever leftover days are nice.  And....sales have sucked.  Last week......no sales at all!  People don't go to Helen to look for art.  They go for T-shirts, tattoos, and tubing.  A great number of tourists are motorcyclists.  Don't get me wrong, they spend money....just not on art.  A few of us will get together to "play" at someone's home.  We just haven't ironed that out yet.  In the meantime we carry on.
Y'all have a pleasing day and remember:  what doesn't kill you only delays the inevitable.

The sun

Wow, the sun shines this morning!  It's been a number of days since I have seen it here.  Am having the front stairs repaired and, when I got home from TN on Saturday, there the guys were, in the rain, working away.  They were going to come back yesterday to finish but we had no power so they couldn't cut anything.  The power outage lasted about 4 hours.  About two of those I was down at the pond clearing the pipe.  I had cleared it before I left for TN but knew that it would need to be done again because of the rain.  Sure enough.  I was smart enough to take my waders down.  The water level was about 3 feet above normal.  It took a while but I finally got it clear enough that the water was getting "flushed".  I went back in the afternoon and it was almost at normal level.  Hopefully the rain will stay away for a few days so everything can dry out, including my new stairs.  When all is done we'll have to wait for the wood to dry out before pressure washing (yep), letting it dry again, then sealing.
Y'all have a good day and remember:  It's hard t be nostalgic when you can't remember anything.

Mini vacation

I'm going up to Tennessee to visit some old friends and celebrate the 4th with them.  I don't know how many more times I'll get to do that.  She has incurable cancer and her husband has no short-term memory left.  V will be going in for chemo treatment next month.  This is another of many.  She hopes to outlive her husband but I have my doubts.  Their daughter is a question mark as far as taking care of her dad if V goes first.  I'm thinking the only solution will be to place him somewhere where he'll be well taken care of.  If V goes first I don't think it will be long before J follows.  They've been together almost 60 years.  These days he follows her around like a puppy dog which is irritating to her.  About the only time she has to herself is early in the morning because she gets up so much earlier than he.  His brother is coming for a visit and that will be a big help as he keeps J occupied a lot of the time.  Luckily for V her sister and brother-in-law live next door and they have been of great help.  Daughter lives a number of miles away and works a full-time job, although she visits as often as she can. So I am going to enjoy their company this year and hope that I get to again next year.
Y'all have a safe holiday and remember those who went before us to make it possible.